Back In The Days
by SpunkyPaperAngel
Summary: One of the Fourth Kazekage's biggest regrets in life is having announced his desire to become kazekage. It's just that back in the days, with Karura by his side and her encouragement, it seemed like such a good idea. One-shot.


_A few weeks ago I started 'free-style' writing and ended up with this. Warnings, a little bit of violence and a very little bit of sexual content. Also, what genre is this? I classified it as angst/hurt/comfort but I'm not sure. I don't own the Narutoverse._

**Back In The Days...**

Blood. It was everywhere. Spilled in the streets, covering the corpses of the enemies; squirting from still breathing targets, draping the assassins like a luxurious red mantle given to the victors of a massacre. Kaze no Hiro rinsed his crimson hands and the water blushed.

Then, when he was relatively clean, he was saluted by the men fighting by his side. "Brave", for he was capable of facing a team double his own without any hesitation. "Intelligent", because in an otherwise hopeless situation only he could remain so sane as to lead his people to complete their mission. "Powerful". Rare was the shinobi able to touch the Hero of the Sand. Gifted with a kekkei genkai, no kunai or shuriken could touch him. His chakra repelled weapons. With his chakra, he could turn metals into dust. With that dust, he could then turn the enemies into nothing. Simply surround the target and squeeze the life out of them, leave the unrecognizable bodies behind.

That's how he ended up with blood splattering unto every surface. Hiro aimed to be valuable to his Sand. If his village demanded a document be retrieved from an enemy camp no matter what, he would do it even if it meant he dream about blood when he closed his eyes. He would be its weapon. Anything to protect his lands, his home, his family, friends, and love.

Exhausted, he finally arrived to his house during the break of dawn a day later. Karura- clean, warm, soft, pretty, and happy- did not stir when he sat beside her resting form.

At least not until he kissed her cheek and the scent of death on him had her jolt awake. She told him, shaking, that she was glad to have him back. Sasori had beheaded a handsome young lad during their mission two days ago right in front of her. She'd had it. She was going to quit being a kunoichi. Would he quit being a shinobi too, please, if she begged him for it?

She knew well that there was no quitting for him. While she was only a genin, he was a jounin and ANBU. Plainly said, he knew too much. He belonged to their Sand. It would always be their hellish home.

Not if they ran away together, she pointed out. They could live in a place with many trees, or maybe by the ocean if he would prefer. She would become the housewife he always dreamed of and bear him five children. She would also do seamstress work on the side to help bring food to the table, while he could deal in whatever profession he wanted. She trusted him. There would be no more blood or broken bones-

Only broken necks when the ANBU caught them, he told her.

She smirked. The broken necks would belong to the idiots who tried to hunt them. Like anyone could defeat her Hero!

Hiro shook his head. The conversation was pointless. They were not even married. Like hell would he take her away from the village without approval from her parents. She had already dishonored them enough by moving in with him. If she did not care about her reputation, fair enough, but she should not drag him down with her. Beside, he would not be so selfish as to hurt his brothers of the Sand, or arrogant as to think he was invincible, and furthermore, he did not wish to listen to her treacherous lips any longer.

He kissed her and marched off to take a shower.

When she joined him ten minutes later, he barely noticed her presence. Traces of dry dirt and blood were still sliding down his body and pooling in the stone at his feet. He could hear his lover asking for forgiveness if she offended him earlier, to which he nodded numbly. She only wanted him to come home not reeking of blood, and she herself didn't want to spill it anymore. He looked into her teal eyes and nodded again, in agreement.

It's not that he had a natural inclination towards killing- in fact, he panicked at the thought of not ever seeing her again if either one died in the battlefield- but he valued everything good he had found in his Sand. He yearned to protect it and to be of value to their lands.

Was his desire to be of worth to the village just like her desire to be of worth to him? She touched him. With her hands she first softly washed away the remaining grime from his skin, and then with her mouth she caressed him into feeling alive.

It was medicine. They ended in bed, cuddling together as they let their violent memories drift away from them. He loved her, he told her.

She smiled. She loved him more and she hoped that he would soon become... kazekage.

He snorted in laughter. No way. Like it would ever happen.

If he became kazekage, he could still serve the Hidden Sand from a safer position.

Because assassins being sent after him and having to be the one to front every crisis was the safest job ever.

No one could touch her mighty Hero, she giggled... He really would never have to come home covered in blood again if he managed to become kazekage. For a man of his caliber, that goal was very damned possible. Plus, he did like the attention.

He denied it and kissed his silly Karura.

She laughed again, insisting he consider it. Who else was so devoted to the village anyway? She could not think of a single person who loved the desert lands like he did. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Kaze no Hiro, the Yondaime Kazekage? It was not possible. Did he even want such job? He visited the Sandaime often enough to notice the ridiculous amount of paperwork involved. He would much rather prefer to go out to the action, feel the adrenaline. Then again lately over half his missions ended in bloodbaths where both the Sand and the enemy suffered. The rush was not worth the heavy losses.

And there was Karura. Wouldn't it be nice to marry her? He was not in good terms with her parents, but surely they would be proud to have the kazekage as their son-in-law. He would have a bigger paycheck, move into the kazekage mansion, and, admittedly, have an usually safer job position. He and Karura could have the five children they always joked about. He could come to his wife every night because there would be no missions for him to travel to. Unless an emergency occurred, he would arrive home unscathed at the end of the day. Like Karura wanted, no more broken bones nor blood. And she would be safe.

The benefits were too good to pass up. His lover's happiness, his ambition to be of high value, the ability to serve and protect Suna like it had served and protected him. He put his arms around Karura and fell asleep. Maybe it was a good idea to let Suna know his newest ambition.

How could he or Karura have predicted that his rise to power would be her end, and her end would be his own, when back in the days, becoming kazekage seemed like a plan without flaws?


End file.
